Tag-line device



July 18, 1939. I I w RUDDOICK 2,166,479v

TAG-LINE DEVICE 1 Filed A ri zs, 1955 I a v INVENTOR. Q U- m ddmc'k ATTORNEY.

Q in an inadequate tension terial handling the position or Patented July 18, 1939 TAG-LINE DEVICE William Ruddock, South Pasadena, Calii'., assignor of one-half to Marion P. McCaflrey, Los

Angeles, Calif.

Application April 23, 1938. Serial No. 203,839

3 Claims.

invention relates to crane mechanisms, and more particularly to the taglines used for preventing swinging of a material handling bucket or other device suspended from the boom oi the crane.

For the purpose of crane bucket while in attach a tagline thereto and maintain it in tension. Heretofore, the usual arrangement has preventing turning of a included a weight movable longitudinally of the boom along guide rails; with one end of the tagline being attached to the weight and the other end to the bucket, the intermediate portion passing over a plurality of is in a vertical position, the force of gravity acting upon the weight is boom approaches ahorizontal position, resulting on the tagline to prevent swinging oi 'the bucket. tension exerted is variable, whereas a steady tension is of greater desirability. Furthermore,

, the sliding of the weight longitudinally of the boom requires the use of a long "cable making reverse turns, around small sheaves, which, re-

quires the oiler to climb out on the boom to grease the guide rails and the operating parts, with its attendant risk oi. bodily harm.

a It'is the overcoming of the above noteddisadvantage with which the present invention is concerned. Accordingly, itbecomes an object oi the invention maintain a steady'pull on the tagline of a mabucket orthe like regardless of the crane boom.

It becomes .a further object of the invention toprovide a- -selt-contained and compact device which will maintain a steady pull on the taga line or a material handling bucket or the like.

Still a further object resides in the provision of a device which will maintain a steady pull on the tagline of a material handling bucket or the like, and in which said pull is readily'increased I 4' or decreased.

A further object 01': the invention involves a tagline device for material handling buckets or the like which requires a minimum number of parts associated with it for maintaining a steady 5o pull on the tagline of'the crane.

I Other objects and advantages of the invention become apparent from a consideration or I the following description 'and' accompanying drawing, in which:

1 is a partially perspective view or a crane operation, it is usual to sheaves located near the respective ends of the boom. 'While a proper pull on the tagline is obtainable when the boom practically nil when the Moreover, the

to provide a device which will .ing I! in a side facel8 makes a return bend through apertures is ina a ing 20, for amxing it. to the pulley. The hub boom and suspended bucket with the tagline device attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the tagline device.

Fig. 3 is anend elevation oi the pulley around which the tagline is wound.

Fig. 4 is a partial section on an enlarged scale, taken as seen on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

- Fig. 5 is a transverse section, taken: as seen,

on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Although the invention is shown as applied to a crane having a clam shell bucket A, it is to be understood that it is applicable also to other types oI'cra-ne mechanism, wherever .it is desirable to prevent turning of the bucket. As,

illustrated in Fig. 1, the crane includes the usual boom B pivoted on a carriage C for verticalv swinging movement, with the'carriage normally .being capable o1 swinging in ahorizontal plane.

The bucket A is suspended from the boom and can be raised and lowered with respect thereto by means oi the usual operating cables D attached to the bucket and passing over the sheaves E at the outer end of the boom. By movement of the cables in a well known manner,.,the bucket can be raised. or lowered and opened orclosed for retaining and discharging materials. a

For the purpose of preventing swinging or turning of the bucket a tagline I0 is attached to a cross-piece II in the form of a chain aflixed to the suspender straps I2 supporting the bucket halves ll. The tagline passes-between the guide pulleys I! carried by a bracket from one oi. the rails of the boom, and then over a pulley It, with its end portion-extending 15 depending through a peripheral opening it and an openthereof, where the end 2| of the pulley isattached to a transversely disposed shaft 22 by means of a pin 23 the shaft being enclosed in V to the boom B thereto by U-bolts 26. While l have shown the tagline controlling mechanism as secured to the boom B, it

tha it may be mounted in other situations with equ l facility. The inner portion of the shaft 22 carries a flange 21 abutting'against an inner end of the bearing 24, an endof the pulleyhub engaging a'l'ubricant retainer 28 for preventing,

a housing 25 that is attached v .45 will be understood escape or oil or grease from the tubular housing 25,'and which in cooperation with the flange 21 maintains the pulley from endwise, movement with respect to the housing and boom. A

I lubricant between 22. The stationary shaft gravity. The parts are within the first shaft 22 and its other end pro vided with a pin 30 fitting within a bayonet'slot 3! on an end plate 32 of the housing 25, which is fastened thereto by the screws 33.

A helical spring surrounds the second stationary shaft 29 and has one end attached to the housing 25 by extending therethrough and carrying thereon thelnut 35 abutting the outer surfaceoi the. housing. The other end of the spring is provided with a reverse bend 86 and a terminal bend portion 31 extending into a bayo- I end of the shaft 22 carrying net slot 38 in-the the tagline pulley l5. By reason of the constructi'on described, the tagline can be held in tension by means of the force supplied by the helical spring 34, the tendency being for the spring to wind the tag line on the pulley l by the turning effort applied to the pulley shaft 29 will ensure alignment of the spring turns andprevents its buckling regardless of the amount of twisting effort applied thereto by the exertion of the tagline thereon.

All of the parts may be lubricated at all times by the introduction of 0'1 or grease into the housing through the inlet pipe 39 which is normally closed by the cap 40. The lubricant retainer 28 will prevent leakage from the housing along the pulley shaft 22 while providing'a proper 411m of it and the bearing 24.-

The arrangement described will maintain a constanttension on the tagline regardless of the vertical position of the boom since the efiort exerted by the springis independent of the force of compact, self-contained, and occupy a small space. .In viewof the enclosing housing, the'mechanism turns entirely in oil,

requiring no attention after its installation. A

more economical construction results since the use of relatively long cables which must make reverse turns around small turns is obviated. In

addition to the elimination of the danger to an oiler who is required to climb out on the beam to grease the sheaves, as in thev old method, a longer life of the cable is ensured by omitting any necessity for its making abrupt bends around the small sheaves. An additional advantage presents itself by the simple manner in which the pull on the tagline can be altered, by simply putting more or less turns on the pulley and thereby changing the tension of the spring.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to the embodiment disclosed on the drawing, it is to be understood that such showing is merely illustrative of the invention and is not intended toconfer any restrictions thereon. The invention is best defined in the appended claims. r

I claim: Y I 1. In a crane mechanism having a material handling bucket or the like suspended from a boom; in combination, a tagline attached to said I bucket, a pulley around which said tagline passes,

2. In a crane mechanism having a material handling bucket or the like suspended from a boom; in combination, a tagllne attached to said bucket, a pulley around which said tagline passes and to which it is anchored, a housing, a bearing at one end of said housing, a shaft fixed to said pulley and extending through said bearing into said housing, a helical fixed at one end to said shaft and at its other end to said housing, whereby said spring is adapted to maintain a steady pull on said tagline regardless of vertical movement of said boom. 7

3. In a crane mechanism having a material handling bucket or the like suspended from a boom; in combination, a tagline attached to said bucket, a pulley around which said tagline passes rounding said second shaft, one end of said spring being fixed to said first-mentioned shaft and the other end'of the housing, whereby said spring is adapted to maintain a steady pull on said tagline regardless of vertical movement of said boom.

, WILLIAM RUDDOCK.

spring within the housing 

